System and method for generating visual identifiers from user input associated with perceived stimuli

ABSTRACT

The present invention generally relates to systems for generating visual identifiers. In particular, the systems and methods herein are configured to generate visual identifiers for representing user response to stimuli. In a preferred embodiment, visual identifiers are generated from primary colors or shapes, wherein the primary colors and/or shapes can be blended or modified based on strength/weakness of the stimuli experienced by a user or across a plurality of users. Preferred embodiments of the invention are further configured to receive text or other non-visual identifier from a user in order to describe the response the user has to a stimuli; wherein the associated system is configured to convert the described response into an appropriate visual identifier.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to systems for generating visualidentifiers. In particular, the systems and methods herein areconfigured to generate visual identifiers for representing user responseto stimuli. In a preferred embodiment, visual identifiers are generatedfrom primary colors or shapes, wherein the primary colors and/or shapescan be blended or modified based on strength/weakness of the stimuliexperienced by a user or across a plurality of users. Preferredembodiments of the invention are further configured to receive text orother non-visual identifier from a user in order to describe theresponse the user has to stimuli; wherein the associated system isconfigured to convert the described response into an appropriate visualidentifier.

BACKGROUND

Association between visual identifiers, such as colors and shapes, havelong been associated with stimuli experienced by individuals. Whendescribing stimulus, such as emotions (e.g., anger, calmness, stress,happiness, passion), physical sensations (e.g., nausea, pain, tension,lightness, hyperactivity of muscles/joints) or other stimuli perceivedor experienced by an individual, a common representation is a basicvisual representation that arouses similar sensations. For instance,colors and shapes are frequently used to identify stimulus experiencedby individuals. An example of this is a mood ring, which changes colorbased on an underlying “mood” of the wearer.

Research has indicated that certain colors can be almost universallyassociated with particular stimuli, regardless of variances inindividuals. Further, certain colors can also cause individuals toexperience related stimuli that the individual associates with thatcolor. For instance, studies have shown that warm colors, such as orangeand yellow, can elicit a hunger response and are associated with food.

In most cases, individuals currently use numbers and vocabulary todescribe and define responses to stimuli. When asked to describe how anindividual feels about something, they may be asked to describe it inwords, or provide input on a numeric scale (e.g., 1 through 10).However, since numbers and vocabulary can be a restrictive tool formeasuring stimuli, such as emotions, moods, emotional intelligence, andbecause words can be subjective and have different interpretations,depending on variables such as context and background of the individual(e.g., socioeconomic background, education level, native language),describing such stimuli can be difficult given its dynamic nature.

Since stimuli can be accurately represented across individuals throughcolors and other visual identifiers, it would be advantageous to have asystem that could receive input from individuals on a stimuli and outputan accurate representation of that stimuli in a visual identifier.However, there are currently no systems or methods for generating visualidentifiers from user input associated with perceived stimuli.

Therefore, there is need in the art for systems and methods forgenerating visual identifiers from user input associated with perceivedstimuli. These and other features and advantages of the presentinvention will be explained and will become obvious to one skilled inthe art through the summary of the invention that follows.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is an aspect of the present invention to provide asystem and method for generating visual identifiers from user inputassociated with perceived stimuli.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a web-based systemfor generating visual identifiers from user input associated withperceived stimuli includes: an input classification module comprisingcomputer-executable code stored in non-volatile memory; a visualidentifier generation module comprising computer-executable code storedin non-volatile memory; a communications means comprisingcomputer-executable code stored in non-volatile memory, and a processor,wherein said input classification module, said visual identifiergeneration module, said processor and said communications means areoperably connected; and wherein said input classification module, saidvisual identifier generation module, said processor and saidcommunications means are configured to collectively: present a user witha stimuli; receive user input related to said stimuli, wherein at leasta portion of said user input is text-based input; convert saidtext-based input into language component data; analyze said languagecomponent data for one or more corresponding visual identifiers; andgenerate a final visual identifier based on analysis of said languagecomponent data.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the inputclassification module, the visual identifier generation module, theprocessor and the communications means are further configured tocollectively: retrieve one or more stored visual identifiers associatedwith said stimuli; and generate an aggregate visual identifier, whereinsaid aggregate visual identifier is based at least in part on said finalvisual identifier and said one or more stored visual identifiers.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the inputclassification module, the visual identifier generation module, theprocessor and the communications means are further configured tocollectively: receive sensor data from one or more sensors associatedwith the user; process said sensor data into one or more sensor datavisual identifiers; compare sensor data visual identifier with saidfinal visual identifiers; and generate an aggregate visual identifier,wherein said aggregate visual identifier is based at least in part onsaid final visual identifier and said one or more sensor data visualidentifiers.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the inputclassification module, the visual identifier generation module, theprocessor and the communications means are further configured tocollectively: verify said final visual identifier corresponds to saidsensor data visual identifier; update a vocabulary database associatedwith said visual identifier generation module based on said sensor datavisual identifier.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a web-based methodfor generating visual identifiers from user input associated withperceived stimuli, includes the steps of: presenting a user with astimuli; receiving user input related to said stimuli, wherein at leasta portion of said user input is text-based input; converting saidtext-based input into language component data; analyzing said languagecomponent data for one or more corresponding visual identifiers; andgenerating a final visual identifier based on analysis of said languagecomponent data.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the method furtherincludes the steps of: retrieving one or more stored visual identifiersassociated with said stimuli; and generating an aggregate visualidentifier, wherein said aggregate visual identifier is based at leastin part on said final visual identifier and said one or more storedvisual identifiers.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the method furtherincludes the steps of: receiving sensor data from one or more sensorsassociated with the user; processing said sensor data into one or moresensor data visual identifiers; comparing sensor data visual identifierwith said final visual identifiers; and generating an aggregate visualidentifier, wherein said aggregate visual identifier is based at leastin part on said final visual identifier and said one or more sensor datavisual identifiers.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the method furtherincludes the steps of: verifying said final visual identifiercorresponds to said sensor data visual identifier; updating a vocabularydatabase associated with said visual identifier generation module basedon said sensor data visual identifier.

The foregoing summary of the present invention with the preferredembodiments should not be construed to limit the scope of the invention.It should be understood and obvious to one skilled in the art that theembodiments of the invention thus described may be further modifiedwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic overview of a computing device, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a network schematic of a system, in accordance withan embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic of a system for generating visual identifiers fromuser input associated with perceived stimuli, in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an exemplary method in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5A is a flowchart of an exemplary method in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5B is a flowchart of an exemplary method in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5C is a flowchart of an exemplary method in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5D is a flowchart of an exemplary method in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an exemplary method in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6A is a flowchart of an exemplary method in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6B is a flowchart of an exemplary method in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 7 depicts an exemplary embodiment of how colors may be associatedwith one another on numerous levels (e.g., primary, secondary,tertiary).

DETAILED SPECIFICATION

The present invention generally relates to systems for generating visualidentifiers. In particular, the systems and methods herein areconfigured to generate visual identifiers for representing user responseto stimuli. In a preferred embodiment, visual identifiers are generatedfrom primary colors or shapes, wherein the primary colors and/or shapescan be blended or modified based on strength/weakness of the stimuliexperienced by a user or across a plurality of users. Preferredembodiments of the invention are further configured to receive text orother non-visual identifier from a user in order to describe theresponse the user has to a stimuli; wherein the associated system isconfigured to convert the described response into an appropriate visualidentifier.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the system andmethod is accomplished through the use of one or more computing devices.As shown in FIG. 1, One of ordinary skill in the art would appreciatethat a computing device 100 appropriate for use with embodiments of thepresent application may generally be comprised of one or more of aCentral processing Unit (CPU) 101, Random Access Memory (RAM) 102, astorage medium (e.g., hard disk drive, solid state drive, flash memory,cloud storage) 103, an operating system (OS) 104, one or moreapplication software 105, display element 106 and one or moreinput/output devices/means 107. Examples of computing devices usablewith embodiments of the present invention include, but are not limitedto, personal computers, smart phones, laptops, mobile computing devicesand tablet PCs and servers. One of ordinary skill in the art wouldunderstand that any number of computing devices could be used, andembodiments of the present invention are contemplated for use with anycomputing device.

In an exemplary embodiment according to the present invention, data maybe provided to the system, stored by the system and provided by thesystem to users of the system across local area networks (LANs) (e.g.,office networks, home networks) or wide area networks (WANs) (e.g., theInternet). In accordance with the previous embodiment, the system may becomprised of numerous servers communicatively connected across one ormore LANs and/or WANs. One of ordinary skill in the art would appreciatethat there are numerous manners in which the system could be configuredand embodiments of the present invention are contemplated for use withany configuration.

In general, the system and methods provided herein may be consumed by auser of a computing device whether connected to a network or not.According to an embodiment of the present invention, some of theapplications of the present invention may not be accessible when notconnected to a network, however a user may be able to compose dataoffline that will be consumed by the system when the user is laterconnected to a network.

Referring to FIG. 2, a schematic overview of a system in accordance withan embodiment of the present invention is shown. The system is comprisedof one or more application servers 203 for electronically storinginformation used by the system. Applications in the application server203 may retrieve and manipulate information in storage devices andexchange information through a WAN 201 (e.g., the Internet).Applications in server 203 may also be used to manipulate informationstored remotely and process and analyze data stored remotely across aWAN 201 (e.g., the Internet).

According to an exemplary embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, exchange ofinformation through the WAN 201 or other network may occur through oneor more high speed connections. In some cases, high speed connectionsmay be over-the-air (OTA), passed through networked systems, directlyconnected to one or more WANs 201 or directed through one or morerouters 202. Router(s) 202 are completely optional and other embodimentsin accordance with the present invention may or may not utilize one ormore routers 202. One of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate thatthere are numerous ways server 203 may connect to WAN 201 for theexchange of information, and embodiments of the present invention arecontemplated for use with any method for connecting to networks for thepurpose of exchanging information. Further, while this applicationrefers to high speed connections, embodiments of the present inventionmay be utilized with connections of any speed.

Components of the system may connect to server 203 via WAN 201 or othernetwork in numerous ways. For instance, a component may connect to thesystem i) through a computing device 212 directly connected to the WAN201, ii) through a computing device 205, 206 connected to the WAN 201through a routing device 204, iii) through a computing device 208, 209,210 connected to a wireless access point 207 or iv) through a computingdevice 211 via a wireless connection (e.g., CDMA, GMS, 3G, 4G) to theWAN 201. One of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that thereare numerous ways that a component may connect to server 203 via WAN 201or other network, and embodiments of the present invention arecontemplated for use with any method for connecting to server 203 viaWAN 201 or other network. Furthermore, server 203 could be comprised ofa personal computing device, such as a smartphone, acting as a host forother computing devices to connect to.

Turning now to FIG. 3, an exemplary embodiment of a system forgenerating visual identifiers from user input associated with perceivedstimuli is shown. In this embodiment, the system includes acommunications means 301, an input classification module 302, a visualidentifier generation module 303, a non-transitory memory module 304, adata store 305, a processor 306 and an application programming interface(API) 307. While the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 is an exemplaryembodiment, other embodiments may include additional or fewercomponents. One of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that thereare numerous configurations of the components that could be utilizedwith embodiments of the present invention, and embodiments of thepresent invention are contemplated for use with any configuration ofcomponents.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the communicationsmeans may be, for instance, any means for communicating data over one ormore networks. Appropriate communications means may include, but are notlimited to, wireless connections, wired connections, cellularconnections, data port connections, Bluetooth connections, fiber opticconnections, modems, network interface cards or any combination thereof.One of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that there arenumerous communications means that may be utilized with embodiments ofthe present invention, and embodiments of the present invention arecontemplated for use with any communications means.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the inputclassification module 302 is configured interact with commands send andreceived from the user, including the receipt of input data andtransmission of stimuli to a user. The input classification module 302may be configured to interpret and process various types of input data.Input data may include, but is not limited to, text data, audio data,sensor data, or any combination thereof. Text data may be received froma user using any appropriate input source, such as a keyboard ortouchscreen device. Audio data may be received from a user using anyappropriate audio input source, such as a microphone, headset, or otheraudio device. Sensor data is data received from one or more sensors thatare receiving information about a user, such as, but not limited to,heart rate, neurotransmissions, brain waves, EKGs, perspiration levels,respiration rate, eye movement/dilation, or any combination thereof. Oneof ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that there are numeroustypes of sensors and input sources that could be utilized withembodiments of the present invention, and embodiments of the presentinvention are contemplated for use with any appropriate sensor type orinput source.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the visualidentifier generation module 303 is configured to process input datarelated to stimuli presented to users into a visual identifier thatrepresents the input data in a visual manner. The input data isgenerally provided to the visual identifier generation module 303 by theinput classification module 302. However, in other embodiments, themodules may be combined or broken down into additional modules. One ofordinary skill in the art would appreciate there are numerousconfigurations that could be used with embodiments of the presentinvention, and embodiments of the present invention are contemplated foruse with any appropriate configuration.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the communicationsmeans 301, input classification module 302, visual identifier generationmodule 303, non-transitory memory module 304, data store 305, processor306 and application programming interface (API) 307, work in conjunctionwith one another to provide the methods and functionality describedherein. The collective grouping of these components, or any appropriateconfiguration thereof, being referable to as the system.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the system isconfigured to use visual identifiers to describe or represent responsesindividuals have to stimuli. In a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, the visual identifiers used by the system are generallyprimary colors, simples shapes and permutations thereof. Visualidentifiers are intended to be identifiers in which users can relate tostimuli merely by the visual appearance of the identifier, as opposed torequiring words, text or other more common identifiers. Given thatvisual identifiers, such as colors, elicit a more standard reactionacross individuals than, say for instance, text based identifiers, userswho view visual identifiers provided by the system can get a moreaccurate identification of a stimulus.

The term stimuli, as used herein, is defined as any output from a devicethat is intended to elicit a response from a user. Stimuli may include,but is not limited to visual stimuli, audible stimuli, tactile stimuli,or any combination thereof. Visual stimuli includes visually perceptibleoutput, such as art, text, graphics, or any other output that isperceived by the eyes of a user. Audible stimuli includes audiblyperceptible output, such as music, speech, tones, or any other outputthat is perceived through the ears of a user. Tactile stimuli includestouch perceptible output, such as force feedback, temperature,grittiness, softness, wetness, or any other output that is perceivedthrough the tactile sensory system of a user. In certain embodiments,the system may be configured to present one or more various types ofstimuli to a user. Additional hardware may be required to providestimuli to the user, such as force feedback systems,speakers/headphones, or display elements. One of ordinary skill in theart would appreciate that there are numerous types of such hardware thatcould be utilized with embodiments of the present invention, andembodiments of the present invention are contemplated for use with anyappropriate type of stimuli presenting hardware.

In certain embodiments, the term stimuli may also be associated withevents, situations or other experiences. For instance, the system mayreceive input related to stimuli, where the stimuli was an event (e.g.,concert, vacation, visit to a doctor), a place (e.g., store, theme parkride), a series of interactions (e.g., playing of a video game), or anycombination thereof. The system may be configured to capture the overallsentiment of these interactions. In certain embodiments, the system maybe configured to receive and process real-time sentiment, such as byproviding a visual identifier for stimuli across all users viewing areal-time event (e.g., political debate, sporting event, concert). Oneof ordinary skill in the art would appreciate there are numerous stimulithat could be utilized by embodiments of the present invention, andembodiments of the present invention are contemplated for use with anyappropriate stimuli.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the system providesone or more stimuli to a user in order to elicit input data from theuser about the stimuli. The system then processes the input data intoone or more visual identifiers that can be later used in conjunctionwith the stimuli or as a visual identifier for other users inassociation with the stimuli. For instance, a user may be provided witha song to listen to (i.e., stimuli) and after listening to the song, theuser can provide input data about the song (e.g., text input and/orsensor input data) to the system. The system will then process the inputdata into a visual identifier (e.g., a color) and associate thecorresponding visual identifier with the song. The next time userrequests information about that song, the system can be used to providethe visual identifier to alert the requesting user about sensations thesong may have elicited in other users. This process is described ingreater detail below.

Further, in certain embodiments, the system may be configured to providemultiple visual identifiers for a particular event/item based on one ormore stimuli provided by that event/item. For instance, a food may begiven separate visual indicators for taste, smell, texture andappearance. One of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that thesystem could utilize any number of visual identifiers for eachitem/event/stimuli, and embodiments of the present invention arecontemplated for use with application of any number of visual identifierper item/event/stimuli.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, when multiple usershave provided input data related to a stimuli, the associated visualidentifier may be modified to represent the collective responseassociated with the input data across all users. Since the response mayvary among different users, the total, or collective, response can beaggregated into a single visual identifier. For instance, initial colorinformation (i.e., visual identifier) associated with a stimuli may movetowards a second color (e.g., a mix of two or more primary colors) asthe aggregate response across all users represents a mixed response(e.g., users did not all have the same response). The resultingaggregate visual identifier may be taken as a true indicator of theresponse that would be elicited across a group of users if the stimuliwere to be so presented. FIG. 7 depicts an exemplary embodiment of howcolors may be associated with one another on numerous levels (e.g.,primary, secondary, tertiary).

With respect to generating a visual identifier for a stimuli, the systemmay draw upon one or more data sources for interpreting input data. Forinstance, input data that is either text or audio may be processed intoits language roots and cross-referenced against one or more vocabularydatabases that have visual indicators associated with variouswords/phrases. These vocabulary databases may be manually provided withvisual identifiers previously associated with specific words/phrases. Inorder to do this, preferred embodiments of the present invention areconfigured to break down input data that comprises language data intolanguage component data. Language component data may be either a singleword or series of words that are commonly used together and elicit aspecific response.

Alternatively, the system may be put through a training phase to buildproprietary vocabulary database. For instance, the system may use inputdata from one or more users by presenting each user with a series ofwords/phrases to be utilized in the vocabulary database. The input datamay be then aggregated for each word, providing an accuraterepresentation of the appropriate visual identifier for each word. Inputdata in this case may be, for instance, a primary color or a selectionof a color on a color wheel. In certain embodiments, the input data maybe augmented with sensor data to verify the accuracy of the userprovided input data, such as matching the color selected by the userwith biometric data (e.g., heart rate, pupil dilation) received fromsensors. The system could determine whether the color provided by theuser is in line with the biometric data to ensure the veracity of theresponse. A preferred embodiment of the training method is detailedlater herein.

Further, the system can, in conjunction with the aforementionedvocabulary databases, use information known about words/phrases in thevocabulary databases to automatically associate certain visualidentifiers with words/phrases not previously trained. For instance, thesystem may use knowledge about synonyms and antonyms associated with anuntrained word/phrase to provide appropriate visual identifierinformation to such previously untrained word (i.e., synonyms receivingsimilar visual identifiers as the underlying word, antonyms receivingopposite or relatively opposing visual identifiers as the underlyingword). Synonym/antonym information may be retrieved from local databasesor pulled from third-party providers (e.g., such as via an API). Onceidentified, the system can store the newly trained information into itsvocabulary databases for future use. One of ordinary skill in the artwould appreciate that there are numerous types of information that couldbe used in this manner for the training of otherwise untrainedwords/phrases, and embodiments of the present invention are contemplatedfor use with any appropriate training methods.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the system may beconfigured to augment the visual identifier through addition of anintensity level. For instance, input data received from the user can beutilized to determine not only a particular visual identifier, but theintensity of the experienced stimuli may impact the corresponding visualidentifier by varying an intensity of the visual identifier. In oneembodiment, intensity can be represented through the visual identifierby way of brightness/dullness. Brighter visual identifiers couldrepresent a more intense stimuli response, with a dull visual identifierrepresenting the opposite. In other embodiments, size may be used todenote intensity, with a large visual identifier denoting an intensestimuli response, with a small visual identifier representing theopposite. One of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that thereare numerous methods that could be utilized to represent intensity in avisual identifier, and embodiments of the present invention arecontemplate for use with any method for representing intensity.

In certain embodiments, intensity may be represented in a separatevisual identifier. For instance, a color may be used a primary visualidentifier, with a secondary visual identifier (e.g., shape) being usedto indicate intensity. For instance, the primary visual identifier couldbe a color (e.g., blue) and the intensity could be represented by ashape (e.g., triangle). In this example, the shape itself could act as arepresentation of intensity, or features of the shape, such as size ofthe shape, could be used as a representation of intensity. In stillfurther embodiments, other types of identifiers could be used torepresent intensity. For instance, numbers could be used to representintensity (e.g., scale of 1-10). One of ordinary skill in the art wouldappreciate that there are numerous secondary visual identifiers andother identifiers that could be utilized to represent intensity in avisual identifier, and embodiments of the present invention arecontemplate for use with any method for representing intensity viasecondary visual identifiers and other identifiers.

In another embodiment, intensity may be represented through opaquenessof the primary visual identifier. For instance, a primary visualidentifier may be more or less transparent, depending on intensity. Forinstance, the primary visual identifier could be nearly transparent whenthe intensity is low and nearly solid or solid (i.e., opaque) whenintensity is high, with varying levels of transparency/opaqueness beingused to denote the various levels of intensity in between.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the system may befurther configured to receive input data from third-party providers andprocess such third-party input data into an aggregate visual identifier.For instance, a third-party provider may be a repository for text basedreviews (e.g., restaurant reviews, travel reviews). The third-partyprovider could provide the text based reviews to the system (such as viaan API) and the system could process each review into an individualvisual identifier and provide an aggregate visual identifierrepresenting experience across the reviews in total. One of ordinaryskill in the art would appreciate that there are numerous types ofthird-party providers that could provide input data to the system forprocessing, and embodiments of the present invention are contemplatedfor use with any type of third-party provider and third-party providerinput data type.

Exemplary Embodiments

Turning now to FIG. 4, an exemplary method for providing stimuli,receiving user input and processing input data to generate a visualidentifier is shown. The process starts at step 400 with a userinteracting with the system. At step 402, the system provides the userone or more stimuli, as described above herein. In certain embodiments,where the stimuli is related to experiences exterior to the system(e.g., stimuli related to user's experience with an event, item orservice), the provision of stimuli may be provided by one or morequestions about the exterior stimuli, whether in a qualitative orquantitative manner.

At step 404, the system receives input data from the user, where theinput data is associated with the stimuli. As noted above, the inputdata may be just text based data or a combination of text based data andsensor data. In other embodiments, the input data may be completelysensor based data. At step 406, the system separates out the text basedinput data (i.e., language input) from any sensor data.

At step 408, the system determines if there is any sensor data, or ifthe input data solely consists of language input. If only language inputis provided, the system proceeds to step 410, where the language inputis analyzed. In preferred embodiments, as described above, the languageinput is generally broken down into individual parts and reviewedagainst one or more vocabulary databases. Once each portion of thelanguage input is processed, the system generates a visual identifierfrom the processed language input (step 412). At this point the processends at step 414.

Back at step 408, if the input data includes sensor data, then thesystem proceeds to step 416, where the system analyzes the languageinput data (similar to step 410) and augments the processed languageinput data with sensor data. Sensor data can help add context orotherwise verify the veracity of the language input data provided by auser. At step 418, the system generates a visual identifier based on theprocessed language data and sensor data. Optionally at step 420, thesystem may augment the language/vocabulary database based on the sensordata. This can help to check the veracity of the vocabulary stored inthe database and improve results for later processing of stimuli. Atthis point, the process terminates at step 422.

Turning now to FIGS. 5A-5D, complimentary training methods forperfecting a vocabulary database for use with the system.

FIG. 5A shows a method for providing initial training to a vocabularydatabase associated with the system. At step 500, the process startswith a request to begin training. At step 502, the system selects avisual identifier to display to the user. In this case, the visualidentifier is to be displayed to the user in order to initiallyassociate words with that visual identifier. For instance, if the systemwants to build an idea what the color blue means to users, it must firstrequest users associate words/sensor data with that color. While much ofthis data may be available already, the system can build an aggregatepicture by requesting this of numerous users in order to build a solidbase for its representation of both stimuli and visual identifiers.

At step 504, the visual identifier is provided to the user. The userthen provides input associated with the visual identifier to the systemat step 506. The system then associates the input vocabulary (i.e.,words/phrases provided by the user that are associated with the visualidentifier) (step 508). At step 510, the system can update thevocabulary database(s) and the process will terminate at step 512.

FIG. 5B shows a method for providing individual word training or basicstimuli training for a vocabulary database for the system based onsensor input data. At step 514, the process starts with a request tobegin training. At step 516, the system selects a visual identifier todisplay to the user. In this case, the visual identifier is to bedisplayed to the user in order to initially associate words with thatvisual identifier. At step 518, the visual identifier is provided to theuser.

At step 520, the system receives the sensor data. The sensor data isthen verified and associated with the visual identifier (step 522). Inthis case, since the visual identifier is being defined, the system canassociate biometric or other sensor data with that visual identifier forconfirming experienced stimuli with such biometrics or otherwisevalidating that a visual identifier appropriately represents itsunderlying vocabulary (e.g., “calm” the word represents a calm statebiometrically). At step 524, the system updates the associatedvocabulary database(s) and the process terminates at step 526.

FIG. 5C shows a method for providing individual word training or basicstimuli training for a vocabulary database associated with the system.At step 530, the process starts with an untrained word or phrase (i.e.,untrained stimuli). At step 532, the system defines the basic stimuli.In this case, the basic stimuli may be the word itself or other visualrepresentative of the word (e.g., picture of a horse for the word“horse”). The system then provides the stimuli to the user (step 534).

At step 536, the system receives the user's response to the stimuli, inthis format, the input should be a color input (e.g., primary,secondary, tertiary). Once the response is received, the system can thenassociate the color input with the defined basic stimuli (step 538). Atstep 540, the system updates the associated vocabulary database(s) andthe process terminates at step 542.

FIG. 5D shows a method for providing individual word training or basicstimuli training for a vocabulary database for the system based onsensor input data. At step 544, the process starts with an untrainedword or phrase (i.e., untrained stimuli). At step 546, the systemdefines the basic stimuli. In this case, the basic stimuli may be theword itself or other visual representative of the word (e.g., picture ofa horse for the word “horse”). The system then provides the stimuli tothe user (step 548).

At step 550, the system receives the sensor data. The sensor data isthen verified and processed into the appropriate visual indicators (step552). At step 554, the system updates the associated vocabularydatabase(s) and the process terminates at step 556.

FIG. 6 shows a process for providing a visual identifier across anaggregate of responses by a number of users. The process starts at step600 with a user interacting with the system to provide input. At step602, the system provides a stimuli to the user.

At step 604, the user receives the stimuli and provides user inputrelated to the stimuli. The system then checks if the stimuli has beenpreviously interacted with or otherwise provided previously (e.g.,whether a song has been provided to users previously) (determinationstep 606. If this is the first time the stimuli has been provided to auser, the system generates a new entry for the stimuli at step 608. Thesystem then analyzes the user input associated with the stimuli asdescribed herein (step 610). At step 612, the system generates a visualidentifier for the stimuli and stores the visual identifier accordingly.The process then terminates at step 614.

Back at determination step 606, if the stimuli has previously beenprovided to users, then the system analyzes the current user input atstep 616. The system then retrieves the visual identifier(s) alreadyassociated with the stimuli, as generated by the system based onpreviously received user input (step 618).

At step 620, once the new input data and previously provided visualidentifiers have been received, the system generates a new visualidentifier based on an aggregation of the data. The system can thenstore the updated visual identifier associated with the stimuli (step622) at which point the process will terminate at step 614.

FIGS. 6A-6B are exemplary methods for providing response to stimuli viadirect selection of a visual identifier, whether alone or in conjunctionwith sensors. Turning first to FIG. 6A, a method for providing responseto stimuli via direct selection of a visual identifier is shown(starting at step 630). At step 632, the process starts with the systemproviding stimuli to the user as described herein. At step 634, thesystem further provides the user with a visual identifier selection toolfor receiving input of a visual identifier representing the user'sresponse to the provided stimuli. For example, the visual identifierselection tool may be a color wheel (see, FIG. 7) with one or moreprimary colors, secondary colors, tertiary colors, or colors of anydepth level. In certain embodiments, the visual identifier selectiontool may be limited to fewer color depth levels (e.g., only primarycolors).

At step 636, the system receives the user's response to the stimuli. Forexample, the input may be a color input (e.g., primary, secondary,tertiary) selected from the visual identifier selection tool provided tothe user. Once the response is received, the system can then associatethe color input with the provided stimuli (step 638). At step 640, thesystem updates the visual identifier associated with the stimuli inaggregate and the process terminates at step 642.

FIG. 6B shows a method for providing response to stimuli based on sensorinput data. At step 644, the process starts with stimuli to be presentedto the user. At step 646, the system provides the stimuli to the user.At step 648, the system receives the sensor data associated with thesensor response occurring during perception of the stimuli by the user.The sensor data is then verified and processed into the appropriatevisual indicators (step 650). At step 652, the system updates the visualidentifier associated with the stimuli in aggregate and the processterminates at step 654.

In terms of application, the system and methods detailed herein can beused by various industries in helping distinguish and represent events,items, goods, services and other stimuli based on visual identifiers asdescribed herein. By using these visual identifiers, emotional responsescan be elicited from users and improve the understanding of theunderlying consumer and the impact such stimuli can have on a market.Further, users can quickly identify via the visual identifiers whichstimuli they would be interested in interacting with based on their ownknowledge of what visual identifiers correspond to pleasant or otherwisedesired stimuli.

In certain embodiments, generation, application and use of the visualidentifiers can allow for instant recognition by users of variousstimuli. Users can use this knowledge to interact with various stimulibased on the associated visual indicator. Since visual identifiers canbe applied to physical products, services and information, theapplication of visual identifier consumption can be utilized broadly.Users can select music, art, stories, products, brands, serviceproviders, or any of a number of various classes of goods, services orother content based on one or more visual identifiers.

Specific examples of usage may include, but are not limited to: (i)using visual identifiers in a online dating service, where informationprovided by users is processed by the system in accordance with themethods described herein to generate an aggregate visual identifier forthe user which may be used to find compatible partners based on theaggregate visual identifier; (ii) brand analysis, whereby the systemgenerates an aggregate visual identifier for a product/service or brandassociated with the product or service, with such information being usedby the brand owner to manage the reputation of their brand (e.g., makingchanges to the brand in order to move the brand in a preferred directionthat would change the visual identifier accordingly); and (iii) usingvisual identifiers in market analysis scenarios to gauge emotionalresponse to financial transactions (e.g., equities markets, particularstocks) as opposed to financial transactions being made on numbersalone. One of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that there arenumerous use cases for the methods and systems described herein, andembodiments of the present invention are contemplated for anyappropriate use.

Throughout this disclosure and elsewhere, block diagrams and flowchartillustrations depict methods, apparatuses (i.e., systems), and computerprogram products. Each element of the block diagrams and flowchartillustrations, as well as each respective combination of elements in theblock diagrams and flowchart illustrations, illustrates a function ofthe methods, apparatuses, and computer program products. Any and allsuch functions (“depicted functions”) can be implemented by computerprogram instructions; by special-purpose, hardware-based computersystems; by combinations of special purpose hardware and computerinstructions; by combinations of general purpose hardware and computerinstructions; and so on—any and all of which may be generally referredto herein as a “circuit,” “module,” or “system.”

While the foregoing drawings and description set forth functionalaspects of the disclosed systems, no particular arrangement of softwarefor implementing these functional aspects should be inferred from thesedescriptions unless explicitly stated or otherwise clear from thecontext.

Each element in flowchart illustrations may depict a step, or group ofsteps, of a computer-implemented method. Further, each step may containone or more sub-steps. For the purpose of illustration, these steps (aswell as any and all other steps identified and described above) arepresented in order. It will be understood that an embodiment can containan alternate order of the steps adapted to a particular application of atechnique disclosed herein. All such variations and modifications areintended to fall within the scope of this disclosure. The depiction anddescription of steps in any particular order is not intended to excludeembodiments having the steps in a different order, unless required by aparticular application, explicitly stated, or otherwise clear from thecontext.

Traditionally, a computer program consists of a finite sequence ofcomputational instructions or program instructions. It will beappreciated that a programmable apparatus (i.e., computing device) canreceive such a computer program and, by processing the computationalinstructions thereof, produce a further technical effect.

A programmable apparatus includes one or more microprocessors,microcontrollers, embedded microcontrollers, programmable digital signalprocessors, programmable devices, programmable gate arrays, programmablearray logic, memory devices, application specific integrated circuits,or the like, which can be suitably employed or configured to processcomputer program instructions, execute computer logic, store computerdata, and so on. Throughout this disclosure and elsewhere a computer caninclude any and all suitable combinations of at least one generalpurpose computer, special-purpose computer, programmable data processingapparatus, processor, processor architecture, and so on.

It will be understood that a computer can include a computer-readablestorage medium and that this medium may be internal or external,removable and replaceable, or fixed. It will also be understood that acomputer can include a Basic Input/Output System (BIOS), firmware, anoperating system, a database, or the like that can include, interfacewith, or support the software and hardware described herein.

Embodiments of the system as described herein are not limited toapplications involving conventional computer programs or programmableapparatuses that run them. It is contemplated, for example, thatembodiments of the invention as claimed herein could include an opticalcomputer, quantum computer, analog computer, or the like.

Regardless of the type of computer program or computer involved, acomputer program can be loaded onto a computer to produce a particularmachine that can perform any and all of the depicted functions. Thisparticular machine provides a means for carrying out any and all of thedepicted functions.

Any combination of one or more computer readable medium(s) may beutilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signalmedium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readablestorage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic,magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system,apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. Morespecific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer readablestorage medium would include the following: an electrical connectionhaving one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, arandom access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber,a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storagedevice, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. In the context of this document, a computer readable storagemedium may be any tangible medium that can contain, or store a programfor use by or in connection with an instruction execution system,apparatus, or device.

Computer program instructions can be stored in a computer-readablememory capable of directing a computer or other programmable dataprocessing apparatus to function in a particular manner. Theinstructions stored in the computer-readable memory constitute anarticle of manufacture including computer-readable instructions forimplementing any and all of the depicted functions.

A computer readable signal medium may include a propagated data signalwith computer readable program code embodied therein, for example, inbaseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated signal may takeany of a variety of forms, including, but not limited to,electro-magnetic, optical, or any suitable combination thereof. Acomputer readable signal medium may be any computer readable medium thatis not a computer readable storage medium and that can communicate,propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with aninstruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

Program code embodied on a computer readable medium may be transmittedusing any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless,wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination ofthe foregoing.

The elements depicted in flowchart illustrations and block diagramsthroughout the figures imply logical boundaries between the elements.However, according to software or hardware engineering practices, thedepicted elements and the functions thereof may be implemented as partsof a monolithic software structure, as standalone software modules, oras modules that employ external routines, code, services, and so forth,or any combination of these. All such implementations are within thescope of the present disclosure.

In view of the foregoing, it will now be appreciated that elements ofthe block diagrams and flowchart illustrations support combinations ofmeans for performing the specified functions, combinations of steps forperforming the specified functions, program instruction means forperforming the specified functions, and so on.

It will be appreciated that computer program instructions may includecomputer executable code. A variety of languages for expressing computerprogram instructions are possible, including without limitation C, C++,Java, JavaScript, assembly language, Lisp, HTML, and so on. Suchlanguages may include assembly languages, hardware descriptionlanguages, database programming languages, functional programminglanguages, imperative programming languages, and so on. In someembodiments, computer program instructions can be stored, compiled, orinterpreted to run on a computer, a programmable data processingapparatus, a heterogeneous combination of processors or processorarchitectures, and so on. Without limitation, embodiments of the systemas described herein can take the form of web-based computer software,which includes client/server software, software-as-a-service,peer-to-peer software, or the like.

In some embodiments, a computer enables execution of computer programinstructions including multiple programs or threads. The multipleprograms or threads may be processed more or less simultaneously toenhance utilization of the processor and to facilitate substantiallysimultaneous functions. By way of implementation, any and all methods,program codes, program instructions, and the like described herein maybe implemented in one or more thread. The thread can spawn otherthreads, which can themselves have assigned priorities associated withthem. In some embodiments, a computer can process these threads based onpriority or any other order based on instructions provided in theprogram code.

Unless explicitly stated or otherwise clear from the context, the verbs“execute” and “process” are used interchangeably to indicate execute,process, interpret, compile, assemble, link, load, any and allcombinations of the foregoing, or the like. Therefore, embodiments thatexecute or process computer program instructions, computer-executablecode, or the like can suitably act upon the instructions or code in anyand all of the ways just described.

The functions and operations presented herein are not inherently relatedto any particular computer or other apparatus. Various general-purposesystems may also be used with programs in accordance with the teachingsherein, or it may prove convenient to construct more specializedapparatus to perform the required method steps. The required structurefor a variety of these systems will be apparent to those of skill in theart, along with equivalent variations. In addition, embodiments of theinvention are not described with reference to any particular programminglanguage. It is appreciated that a variety of programming languages maybe used to implement the present teachings as described herein, and anyreferences to specific languages are provided for disclosure ofenablement and best mode of embodiments of the invention. Embodiments ofthe invention are well suited to a wide variety of computer networksystems over numerous topologies. Within this field, the configurationand management of large networks include storage devices and computersthat are communicatively coupled to dissimilar computers and storagedevices over a network, such as the Internet.

While multiple embodiments are disclosed, still other embodiments of thepresent invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art fromthis detailed description. The invention is capable of myriadmodifications in various obvious aspects, all without departing from thespirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the drawings anddescriptions are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and notrestrictive.

1. A web-based system for generating visual identifiers from user inputassociated with perceived stimuli, the system comprising: an inputclassification module comprising computer-executable code stored innon-volatile memory; a visual identifier generation module comprisingcomputer-executable code stored in non-volatile memory; a communicationsmeans comprising computer-executable code stored in non-volatile memory,and a processor, wherein said input classification module, said visualidentifier generation module, said processor and said communicationsmeans are operably connected; and wherein said input classificationmodule, said visual identifier generation module, said processor andsaid communications means are configured to collectively: present a userwith a stimuli; receive user input related to said stimuli, wherein atleast a portion of said user input is text-based input; convert saidtext-based input into language component data; analyze said languagecomponent data for one or more corresponding visual identifiers; andgenerate a final visual identifier based on analysis of said languagecomponent data.
 2. The web-based system of claim 1, wherein said inputclassification module, said visual identifier generation module, saidprocessor and said communications means are further configured tocollectively: retrieve one or more stored visual identifiers associatedwith said stimuli; and generate an aggregate visual identifier, whereinsaid aggregate visual identifier is based at least in part on said finalvisual identifier and said one or more stored visual identifiers.
 3. Theweb-based system of claim 1, wherein said input classification module,said visual identifier generation module, said processor and saidcommunications means are further configured to collectively: receivesensor data from one or more sensors associated with the user; processsaid sensor data into one or more sensor data visual identifiers;compare sensor data visual identifier with said final visualidentifiers; and generate an aggregate visual identifier, wherein saidaggregate visual identifier is based at least in part on said finalvisual identifier and said one or more sensor data visual identifiers.4. The web-based system of claim 3, wherein said input classificationmodule, said visual identifier generation module, said processor andsaid communications means are further configured to collectively: verifysaid final visual identifier corresponds to said sensor data visualidentifier; update a vocabulary database associated with said visualidentifier generation module based on said sensor data visualidentifier.
 5. A web-based method for generating visual identifiers fromuser input associated with perceived stimuli, the method comprising thesteps of: presenting a user with a stimuli; receiving user input relatedto said stimuli, wherein at least a portion of said user input istext-based input; converting said text-based input into languagecomponent data; analyzing said language component data for one or morecorresponding visual identifiers; and generating a final visualidentifier based on analysis of said language component data.
 6. Theweb-based method of claim 5, further comprising the steps of: retrievingone or more stored visual identifiers associated with said stimuli; andgenerating an aggregate visual identifier, wherein said aggregate visualidentifier is based at least in part on said final visual identifier andsaid one or more stored visual identifiers.
 7. The web-based method ofclaim 5, further comprising the steps of: receiving sensor data from oneor more sensors associated with the user; processing said sensor datainto one or more sensor data visual identifiers; comparing sensor datavisual identifier with said final visual identifiers; and generating anaggregate visual identifier, wherein said aggregate visual identifier isbased at least in part on said final visual identifier and said one ormore sensor data visual identifiers.
 8. The web-based method of claim 7,further comprising the steps of: verifying said final visual identifiercorresponds to said sensor data visual identifier; updating a vocabularydatabase associated with said visual identifier generation module basedon said sensor data visual identifier.
 9. A computer implemented systemfor generating visual identifiers from user input associated withperceived stimuli, the system comprising: an input classification andvisual identifier generation module comprising computer-executable codestored in non-volatile memory; and a processor, wherein said inputclassification and visual identifier generation module and saidprocessor are operably connected; and wherein said input classificationand visual identifier generation module and said processor areconfigured to collectively: present a user with a stimuli; receive userinput related to said stimuli, wherein at least a portion of said userinput is text-based input; convert said text-based input into languagecomponent data; analyze said language component data for one or morecorresponding visual identifiers; and generate a final visual identifierbased on analysis of said language component data.
 10. Thecomputer-implemented system of claim 9, wherein said inputclassification and visual identifier generation module and saidprocessor are further configured to collectively: retrieve one or morestored visual identifiers associated with said stimuli; and generate anaggregate visual identifier, wherein said aggregate visual identifier isbased at least in part on said final visual identifier and said one ormore stored visual identifiers.
 11. The computer-implemented system ofclaim 9, wherein said input classification and visual identifiergeneration module and said processor are further configured tocollectively: receive sensor data from one or more sensors associatedwith the user; process said sensor data into one or more sensor datavisual identifiers; compare sensor data visual identifier with saidfinal visual identifiers; and generate an aggregate visual identifier,wherein said aggregate visual identifier is based at least in part onsaid final visual identifier and said one or more sensor data visualidentifiers.
 12. The computer-implemented system of claim 11, whereinsaid input classification and visual identifier generation module andsaid processor are further configured to collectively: verify said finalvisual identifier corresponds to said sensor data visual identifier;update a vocabulary database associated with said visual identifiergeneration module based on said sensor data visual identifier.